Malignant otitis externa

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Ear anatomy

Osteomyelitis of the skull; Otitis externa - malignant

• Drainage from the ear - yellow, yellow-green, foul smelling, persistent
• Hearing loss
• Ear pain - felt deep inside the ear and may get worse when moving head
• Itching of the ear or ear canal
• Fever

A doctor will look into your ear for signs of an outer ear infection (otitis externa). The head around and behind the ear may be tender to touch. A neurological examination may show that the cranial nerves are affected.

If there is any drainage, the doctor may send it to the lab for a culture to be performed. The purpose of the culture is to look for bacteria or fungus, usually the bacteria Pseudomonas.

To look for signs of a bone infection adjacent to the ear canal, the following tests may be performed:

• CT scan of the head
• X-rays of the skull
• MRI scan of the head
• Radionuclide scan

Review Date: 01/30/2007
Reviewed By: Ravindra Uppaluri, MD. Otolaryngologist, Private Practice, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.